Richard Gullett, Managing Director of Otford Builders Merchants, discusses the customer experience and how it was kept front-of-mind when strengthening its landscaping offering.
Otford Builders Merchants (OBM), a founding partner of NBG, trades from two branches in Kent. The company originally opened its doors over 40 years ago as a local one-stop-shop for builders in the region. Since then, the organisation has opened its second branch in 2012 and has experienced considerable growth, turning over £20 million last year.
Managing Director, Richard Gullett, joined the organisation almost five years ago following a customer-focussed career in the motoring sector. “I recognise the importance of a bespoke customer journey and their buying experience,” says Richard. “In the last three to four years we have really focussed on our customer’s needs.”
Richard and the team at OBM decided to do this by developing its landscaping offer. “In the South East there is a strong demand for quality landscaping products with a high-end finish. We decided to partner with Pavestone and Digby Stone to refurbish our trade counter and outdoor area to showcase some of the top-end products. It was a big investment, so we decided to carry out the transformation at one branch in the first instance.
“Our trade counter looked the same for 20 years. Now it’s much more contemporary and a bit smaller to give us more retail space. We’ve had plenty of positive comments from customers and we’ve been selling so many more premium products, just by having them on display.”
The new counter and outdoor area received such a positive response from customers, in addition to an increase in sales, that Otford is planning a similar refurbishment for its second branch. Richard says: “We want to increase our offering at the Ashford site to match the new and improved standards of the Sevenoaks branch. We’re working towards upgrading the trade counter in time for summer — the peak trading period.”
The Society of Garden Designers (SGD’s) Awards revealed that one of the top trends for gardens this year will be blurring the boundaries between indoors and outdoors, to bring the spaces together. Richard picks up the point, saying: “We’re noticing definite changes in the demand for particular products, especially around the outdoor living trend. Following last year’s hot summer, more people are investing in outdoor kitchens and looking at having the same tiles both internally and externally for continuity. Artificial grass has also been popular.
“Having relationships with suppliers like Pavestone and Digby Stone, through NBG, has meant that we can invest heavily in premium products, for example the porcelain tiling, to meet the increasing demand for a high-quality finish from our customers.”
When it comes to customer experience, the team at Otford Builders Merchants is not stopping there — it is looking beyond the in-store customer experience and plans to launch its new website later this year.
NBG News
- NBG partners have been experiencing growth with Higgins Building Supplies, Condells, PGR, Builders’ Merchant Company and Excel Plumbing Supplies opening new branches, showrooms and sites.
- NBG partners will be gathering at The Belfry on 8-9 April for the annual partner event, to give their input on the NBG strategy.
- NBG’s annual conference will take place in Glasgow from 19-20 November.
For more information, visit nationalbuyinggroup.com, find them on Twitter at @NBGLLP or on LinkedIn at National Buying Group.
